Dear Friends of The Filignos, as you may have heard, Joe's dad, Giuseppe (Joe) Filigno passed away on May 26th after his most recent cancer diagnosis in January. Many of you have asked how you can honor his memory, so Joe and his family would like to offer this for your consideration, given the current situation Joe's mom, Sophie, has found herself in.

 

In addition to the profound grief of losing her husband of 49 years after taking care of him dutifully over these past challenging months, Sophie was the victim of a particularly evil predatory scam artist. Knowing Sophie was holding out hope for a miracle, this scam artist both knew about her ailing husband and exploited it for his gain. By the time it was caught--just a few days before Joe's dad died--a significant portion of the life savings that Sophie and Giuseppe worked a lifetime to save was gone forever. Local law enforcement and the FBI have been informed, and the consensus is that there is little that can be done to catch the scammer or recover the money.

 

As you can imagine, this complicates an already profoundly sad situation for this loving, giving, trusting, broken-hearted, sweet woman. Joe's dad always protected Sophie, sometimes from her own trusting nature. He wasn't able to in his final days.

 

Since uncovering this evil scheme, swift actions have been taken to ensure Sophie is protected from future and further financial damages. Still, with the enormity of the financial loss, compounded with funeral and burial costs, we can only imagine how daunting facing a future without her husband must feel.

 

If you can, please consider the following act of kindness in Joe's dad's memory for the woman he loved so dearly. Let's help show Sophie that her dear husband is still doing everything he can to look out for her and remind her of the good still in the world. Maybe together, we can deliver Sophie a miracle after all.